Returning Badminton Champions successfully Defend Titles at Singapore Sports Hub NOC 2023!
Nur Insyirah Khan wins the Women's Singles, while Megan Lee settles for 2nd spot - Singapore Sports Hub National Open Championships 2023, Presented by Eagle Brand. Photo Credit : Singapore Badminton Association
On 10 February 2023, the Singapore Sports Hub National Open Championships (NOC), Presented by Eagle Brand, took place in front of a capacity crowd at the OCBC Arena. For close to 5 hours on that Friday evening, local fans who attended in person or caught the online live streaming, witnessed more than a dozen national players, ex-Team Singapore shuttlers and others, compete for the total prize money of $13,000 across 5 competition categories. After a week-long tournament featuring close to 250 players in the 5th edition of the NOC, it all came down to the grand finale on 10 Feb!
Women's Singles Final
Nur Insyirah Khan vs Megan Lee in the Women's Singles Final at NOC 2023. Video Credit : Sport Singapore
The Women's Singles was the first Final to get underway at 630pm. Nur Insyirah Khan was the returning champion and she was up against her fellow compatriot Megan Lee. 17 year old Megan led throughout the opening game, before top seed Insyirah took the lead at 16-15. And the reigning champion didn't look back, as she went on to win 21-16. It was a similar scenario in the 2nd game, as Megan led throughout before her opponent took the lead at 17-16. And the 21 year old surged forward to win 21-18 and lifted her 2nd straight National Championships trophy!
"I'm extremely satisfied with my performance in this final. It was really shaky at the start. But I managed to retain my composure and tried to fight every point. And both of us truly gave our best performances on the court. And as for winning the NOC, it will certainly give me even more determination to work harder in the coming tournaments this year," added Insyirah after her win.
Mixed Doubles Final
Lai Zing Ning & Mok Jing Qiong vs Bimo Adi Prakoso & Liang Jun in the Mixed Doubles Final at NOC 2023. Video Credit : Sport Singapore
The Mixed Doubles Final was a rematch of sorts between these familiar faces - Lai Zing Ning (ex-Malaysian international) & Mok Jing Qiong (ex-TeamSG player) vs Bimo Adi Prakoso (former ex-TeamSG shuttler) & Liang Jun (former ex-TeamSG sparring partner). The 4 of them have had different partners over the years. But in this recent finals clash, friendship was put on hold as both pairs fought fiercely on court. And after a 45-minute seesaw battle, it was Bimo's power smashes and Liang Jun's nifty footwork which allowed them to triumph 21-16, 19-21, 21-15.
Men's Singles Final
Lim Ming Hong vs Vega Vio Nirwanda in the Men's Singles Final at NOC 2023. Video Credit : Sport Singapore
The Men's Singles championship match proved to be an interesting affair as it saw TeamSG's rising shuttler Lim Ming Hong, taking on the national team's sparring partner, Vega Vio Nirwanda. Seeded 9th, Indonesian-born Vega has been with Singapore's Badminton Association since 2019. And the 26 year old has been 1 of the national team's regular training and sparring partners. But despite being the defending champion, Vega knew that 2nd seed Ming Hong was hungry for success. It was an evenly-contested battle which saw both finalists display contrasting playing styles. But in the end, it was Vega picking up the $1,000 winner's cheque following his 21-19, 21-19 victory.
Men's Doubles Final
Nicholas Kat and Ng Joo Jin vs Johann Prajogo & Nge Joo Jie in the Men's Doubles Final at NOC 2023.
Video Credit : Sport Singapore
The Men's Doubles finale saw a pair of TeamSG brothers competing on opposite sides. Top-seeded pair Johann Prajogo & Nge Joo Jie faced off against the duo of Nicholas Kat and Ng Joo Jin. 19 year old Joo Jie and Johann were at the top of the world junior rankings in 2022. And in the recent clash at the National Open Championships, both pairs displayed a great level of athleticism, tenacity and the desire to win. The match was too close to call as it could have gone either way. In the end though, it was Johann and Joo Jie walking away with the 21-18, 21-16 win.
In a post-match interview, Joo Jie said, "After last year's high of being world no 1, it was all done to mental preparations for this national championships. And we didn't allow our top seeded-ranking to distract us this week. So we just played our normal game and remained humble". Johann further added, "It's certainly a good way to start the new season. And we hope that we can perform consistently at the international and local competitions. That includes the coming Cambodia SEA Games, which will be our 1st Major Games outing".
(2nd from Left) Lim Ming Hui and Liang Jun vs Megan Lee and Grace Chua in the NOC 2023 Finals. Photo Credit : Singapore Badminton Open
The Women's Doubles title match saw Lim Ming Hui (ex-TeamSG player) and Liang Jun (ex-TeamSG sparring partner) versus the 2022 finalists, Megan Lee and Grace Chua. Both Megan and Liang Jun had played matches earlier in the evening and lost. And this doubles finale, was their last chance to lift a winner's trophy. Megan and Grace are currently part of Team Singapore as Singles players. But they lost the 1st game in the final 21-17. The duo however came back strongly in Game 2 and forced the rubber set, after winning 21-15. By that time, Liang Jun was showing signs of a possible calf muscle pull. And that hindered her performance in the deciding game. Despite the pain though, Liang Jun soldiered on to finish the match, albeit losing 21-14.
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